Post-winder



(No Model.)

0. L. ETHERIDGE. I

POST WINDER.

Patentd Mar. 15,1898.

lull] m/ VENTOH W/TNESSES I iTE STATES OARROL L. ETHERIDGE, or JOPLIN,MISSOURI.

PQST-Wl N DER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,638, dated March15, 1898.

Application filed August 10, 1897. Serial NO, 647,740. (N model.)

' To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARROL L. ETHERIDGE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Joplin, in the county of Jasper and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Post-Winders and WireFences, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement is directed to provision whereby the line-wires of wirefences are combined with post-winders for keeping the wires taut and thefence in a firm condition; and the particular matter of my improvementwill be set out in the claim concluding this specification.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown in Figure 1 a portion of awire fence, one of the posts representing the anchor-post of theline-wires and having my improved stretching-winders. Fig. 2 showsenlarged the link-stays and their connection with the line-wires. Fig. 3is a vertical section of the same. Fig. t shows the anchor-post whichcontains the wire-stretching winders. Fig. 5 is a vertical section ofthe same, taken in the line of the post-winder. Fig. 6 is a like viewshowing the winder in cross-section. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section ofthe same, and Fig. 8 shows one of post-winders.

Each section of the fence has its line-wires connected by verticalstay-wires, whereby to form a fence suited for large and for smallstock. The vertical stay-wires may be of any suitable construction. Asshown, they are each formed of links 2, each link having an eye 3 at itsend projecting at right angles on the same side of the fence, so thatthe eyed ends of the connecting-links stand in opposite directions toeach other. Theeyed end of onelink is engaged with the eyed end of theother link; but the eyes are not engaged with each other, so that theend of one link is free to slide upon the end of the other link. It isbetween the eyed ends of the links thus coupled that the line-wires passand over which each link is free to slide between their eyed ends. Intightening the line-wires the stays are kept in proper bracing relationto them, making a strong and firm fence, and to the line-wires of whichthe stays may be suitably tied to prevent them from being moved apart onthe line-wires. The links may be coupled by eye-joints 5 between thelinewires. Any desired number of line-wires may be used and the linksmay be close enough together to prevent hogs or other small stock fromspreading them or the linewires. At the bottom of the fence thelinewires are placed closer together. This construction renders itpossible to build a firm fence from seventy-five to one hundred feetbetween the posts.

In erecting the fence the line-wires are passed through holes and keyedor otherwise secured in the post. at the beginning of the line andthence passed up through the lineposts. to the end post, into which theyare passed through holes 6, opening on one side and secured to windersfitted into the post, as I will now describe. The end post has bores 7made in it from one side, but preferably not extending through it, andfor each line-wire there is a hole 6 in one side of the postintersecting the bores 7. Into these bores are fitted hollow plugs 8,,so that their ends stand out to the side of the post and in position atright angles to the line-wires. These hollow plugs are slottedlengthwise at each end, and preferably these slots 9 and 10 are made atright angles to each other, as seen in Fig. 8. All the line-wires havingbeen passed into the holes 6 in the post are passed through the slot 9at the inner end of the plug and into and through the plug to its outerend. The plugs have each a circumferential recess 11 at the innerslotted ends, and it is within these recesses that the linewires arewound upon the plugs when they are turned to stretch and tighten thewires. These recesses are sufficiently deep to give room for thispurpose, so that the plugs are not bound in the bores, but are free tobe turned to wind the wires as it may be necessary to tighten them.l/Vhen so stretched and tightened, the end of each wire, which is pulledout through the slot 10 in the outer end of the plug, is ,wrapped to tieit around the plug. When so tied, the plugs are locked to the posts bypins 13, which merely engage the slots 9 at the inner ends of the plug.For the convenient insertion of these pins that side of the postopposite to the receiving-holes for the line-wires has slots 14, which.open into the bores 7, so that it is only necessary to turn the plugthat these slots may coincide with the post-slots to push the pins intothe post-slots, with the pins resting against the edge of the slot whichlooks the plugs, and leaves the pins easy to remove for winding andtighten the wires as may be needed and the pins replaced.

In tightening the line-Wires it is important that the winding-plugs befree to be turned and that the locking-pins for'the plugs be free forremoval. Hence the provision of the recessed body of the plug withinwhich to wind the wire on the plug and the slots in the post forconveniently inserting a pin for locking the winding-plugs and therebyrendering it easy work to keep the fence-Wires tight.

I claiin OARROL L. ETHERID GE.

Witnesses:

ALBERT N. WINCHESTER, OLAUD L. OLEVENGER.

